多すぎる
ō-sugiru
The English phrase "too much" is expressed in Japanese as 多すぎる (ō-sugiru).
多すぎる is used to describe an excessive quantity or number. While 多すぎる refers specifically to amounts, you can also express the idea of being "too much" or "excessive" in degree by attaching the suffix すぎる to the stems of other adjectives. For example, you might use すぎる to say something is "too hot" or "too expensive". In casual conversation, you might hear すごい used to mean "too much" or "amazing" or めっちゃ, which is an informal word used mainly in the Kansai dialect to mean "too much" or "very". Additionally, 余り (amari) is often used in negative contexts to suggest that something is excessive or unwanted.
Meaning: excessively (adv)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the adjective 多い (ōi, many/much) and the verb すぎる (sugiru, to exceed or to do excessively).
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word めっちゃ is an informal expression mainly used in the Kansai dialect to express "too much" or "very".
How does it change in a sentence?
To use "too much" with an adjective, you can add すぎる after the adjective stem. The word 多すぎる can change its form depending on the sentence: the polite form is 多すぎます, the past tense is 多すぎた and adding と to the dictionary form to create 多すぎると results in a conditional meaning such as "if there is too much".
How do you pronounce it?
ō-sugiru
Did you know?
- The word めっちゃ is believed by some linguists to have evolved from めちゃくちゃ, which describes a state of total disorder or being 'messed up'.
- While すぎる usually means 'too much', it is sometimes used in a positive sense to describe something so great that it transcends a normal category, such as 'too beautiful to be human'.
- The root verb すぎる also means 'to pass by' or 'to go past' a physical location, such as a train station.
Examples in context
- あれは多すぎる？Is that too much?This sentence is useful for asking if a quantity is excessive.Tatoeba #8722375 by bunbuku, translation #2282369 by Hybrid
- この部屋には家具が多すぎる。There is too much furniture in this room.This sentence is useful for describing an excessive amount of furniture in a room.Tatoeba #220026 by KK_kaku_, translation #57345 by CK
- 血中の糖分が多すぎる状態を糖尿病といいます。It's called diabetes when a person has too much sugar in the blood.This sentence is useful for describing a medical condition related to excessive sugar levels.Tatoeba #11453639 by small_snow, translation #10366222 by AlanF_US
- 彼女は仕事に夢中すぎる。She is too absorbed in her work.
- 今日の授業はめっちゃ退屈だった。Today's class was so boring.
- その服、高すぎ！That clothing is too expensive!
- 食べ過ぎちゃった。I ate too much.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are deciding how much sugar to put in their coffee.
- 健太 Kenta砂糖を３つ入れるよ。Satō o mittsu ireru yo.I'm putting in three sugars.
- 結衣 Yuiそれは多すぎると思うよ。Sore wa oosugiru to omou yo.I think that is too much.
- 健太 Kenta本当？じゃあ、一つにしようかな。Hontō? Jaa, hitotsu ni shiyō kana.Really? Then maybe I'll just use one.
- 結衣 Yuiそのほうがいいと思うよ。Sono hō ga ii to omou yo.I think that would be better.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “too much” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
